Rug nozzle



A. H. BEEDE June 13, 1950 RUG NOZZLE Filed March 6, 1945 L lan-anni;

INVENTOR.

BY TS TV HWNEX Patented June 13,1950

Arnold H.

RUG NOZZLE Beede, Stamford, Conn., assignor to Electrolux Corporation, 01d Greenwich, Conn., a corporation of Delaware f Application March 6, 1945, Serial No. 581,228

aclaims. (cl. -364) 'A Y This invention relates to rug cleaning nozzles for vacuum cleaners and is' particularly concernedwith nozzles having means for agitatlng the' pile fabric of a rug or oor covering so as to provide for an enhanced 'cleaning action.

In the cleaning of rugs by suction means two individual problems are usually present. One of such problems is the removalof deep dirt usually in the form of dust and ne particles which is'frequently lodged at the base of the piles of the rug and which can usually be best dislodged and carried into the suction stream by an agitation of the 'pile bristles of the rug by which they are bent over and separated from adjacent bristles, permitting the suction action tobe effective deep down'in the rug pile. A second problem is the. removal of surface litter such as hairs and fibrous material which frequently is enmeshed with the bristles of the rug and which frequently require a surface agitation of the rug by a brush or comb which disentanglessuch litter, permitting it to be sucked up into the air stream.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a single rug nozzle which is designed to subject the rug to both a deep. dirt removing action as well as a surface litter removing action. v

It is a further object' of the present invention to provide a rug nozzle which on the forward stroke thereof over the rug will subject the rug' to one type of cleaning actioriA while'the reverse movement of the nozzle over the rug will subject the rug`to a diierent type of cleaning action. It will,I of course, be understood that the vdiil'erent types of cleaning are not necessarily mutually exclusive and while one or the, otherV .type of cleaning may be predominantly effective during one stroke ofthe nozzle some cleaning of the other type may -be simultaneously opening which later induces a high vvelocity of `air passing from the rug surface to the nozzle.

A still further object ofthe invention is to provide a. rug cleaning nozzle having a pivoted agitator .carrying member which is freely swingable in response tothe direction of movement of the nozzle over the. rug and which by such Figl 2 is a bottom plan view showing the nozzle with the parts in the position 'shown in Fig. 3:

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken onlines 3 3 of Fig. l and showing the parts ofthe nozzle in the position assumed when the nozzle is'being vmoved rearwardly over the rug, and f Fig. 4 is a similar view with the parts shown in the position which they assume 'when the nozzle is pushedforwardly over the rug.

The present inventive concept is herein illustrated as embodied in a suction nozzle, the suction opening of which is dened by the front wall of the nozzle body and a pivotally mounted element carrying a pair of independent variously' characterized agitating elements, the arrangement being such that on the forward stroke of the nozzle the pivoted member swings rearwardly t0 present a wide suction opening to,the rug and also to present to the rug surface a comb like agitator which is designed to pick up and disentangle from the pile of the rug fibrous surface litter such as hairs and threads. The pivoted member also carries a di'erent type of agitator which is moved into rug contacting position by pivotal movement of the member' upon the rearward stroke of the/nozzle. The second swinging movement selectively applies one or another agitating means to the rug surface.

Numerous other objects of the present invention will be apparent from a lconsideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a rug nozzle formed in accordance with the present invention;

mentioned agitator is preferably in the form of means for flexing the pile of the rug so as to permit the suction to penetrate to the base of the pile. In the latter position of the pivoted member the lower edge has moved forwardly towards the front lip of the nozzle body to thereby reduce the width of the nozzle suction opening so that high velocity air is brought in close Contact with the pile of the rug.

Referring now in detail tothe accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present inventive concept is disclosed as comprising a hollow suction nozzle body I0 which conveniently may be of conventional elongated rectangular outline. A wand or suction handle receiving coupling, as indicated at Il, is mounted upon the body I0, it being understood that a hollow suction handle or Wand may be applied to the coupling II so that such handle or wand may function as an operating handle and as a means for applying suction to the nozzle.

The ends of the body I0 are extended rearwardly as at I2 from the front lip I3 of the body so as to constitute end enclosures or transverse walls which also act as supporting runners to assist in maintaining the nozzle opening I4 parallel withthe rug surface. The opening I4 is -bounded on the front side by the front lip I 3 of the nozzle body and on the ends by the end members or transverse walls I L While the rear wall of the suction opening is deiined by a pivotally mounted wall portionv or agitator carrying member I5. The extreme upper edge of member I5 forms the fulcrum for pivotally mounting member l5, the same being secured to the end walls I2 by suitable pins It as lndicated by dotted lines of Figs. 3 and 4.

An upper seal for the pivotally mounted member l5 is provided by a flexible member or wall I1 extending from the upper end of the member l5 rearwardly to a rear wall I'. of the body Il. It will be noted that, since the attachment of the member l1 to the member l5 is substantially in the plane of the pins It, iiexing of the member i1 upon pivotal movement of the member I5 is reduced to a minimum. l

The lower end of the pivoted member Il carries a pile agitating member 2l of comb like characteristic which is adapted to comb out and disentangle from the fibers of a rug such surface litter as hairs and thread nbersand the like. By way of illustration the comb is shown in the form illustrated in the patent of Robert Lay Hallock, No. 2,377,778 issued June 5, 1945. The construction is such that, when the nozzle is moved forwardly over the rug and the pivoted member i5 swings rearwardly to abut the stops It, the teeth of member will be in operative rug contacting position as shown in Fig. 4 and the width of the suction opening Il will be at its maximum.

The member i5 also carries a second and differently characterized rug agitator here shown in the form of a brush 2| which is mounted on the member I5 behind the comb 2l. Rearward movement of the nozzle rocks the member I! forwardly so that the comb is raised from the pile surface while the brush 2| is moved into contact with the pile to agitate it and to successively separate bristles of the rug so as to expose the bases thereof to the suction action. It will also be noted that such rearward movement of the nozzle brings the lower portion of the member Il forwardly to a point where such said forward movement is stopped by members 22 which are so spaced with respect to the front lip i1 as to permit only a narrow air passage between the member I 5 and the lip I3 so that air passing through the nozzle during the rearward stroke will have a considerable higher velocity than that admitted during the -forward stroke when the pivoted member i5 is in the rear position and the suction opening i4 is at its maximum. It will be i noted that during the rearward stroke the high velocity suction will act to take up such surface litter as the comb 20 has dislodged from enmeshment with the pile fabricas well as subjecting the rug pile to the high velocity suction action.

It will be understood, of course, that the arrangement of the agitators may be changed from the specic disclosure here made and thus the brush may be positioned to act with the comb in the forward stroke of the nozzle in addition w its action on the rearward stroke. It will also be understood that various other changes, modifications and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departure from the spirit or scope of the present invention and thus the type of rug agitators carried by the pivotally mounted member i5 may vary in accordance with the election of the designer or inventor to meet specific reouirements.

What I claim is:

l. In a vacuum cleaner tool, a body having an elongated ton surface apertured to permit the passage of air therethrough, fixed front and transverse walls depending from said top surface, said front wall terminating at its lower edge in a surface engaging lip, a fixed depending rear wail portion terminating in an edge Substantially above the horizontal plane of said surface engaging lip. a rear wall portion pivotally mounted on said transverse walls at a point intermediate the front wall and the terminal edge of the fixed rear wall portion and spaced from said terminal edge, said pivotally mounted rear wall portion depending to substantially the plane of said surface engaging lip, and a substantially horizontally v disposed flexible wall joining said pivotally mounted and said fixed rear wall portions.

2. In a vacuum cleanertool. a body having an elongated top surface apertured to permit the passage of air therethrough, nxed front and transverse walls depending from said top surface, said front wall terminating at its lower edge in a surface engaging lip, a fixed depending rear wall portion terminating in an edge substantially above the horizontal plane of said surface engaging lip, a rear wall portion pivotally mounted on said transverse walls at a point intermediate the front wall and the terminal edge of the fixed rear wall portion and spaced from said terminal edge, said pivotally mounted rear wall portion depending to substantially the plane of said surfaceengaging lip, and a substantially horizontally disposed flexible wall Joining said pivotally mounted and said fixed rear wall portions, said pivotally mounted rear wall portion being provided with dissimilar agitating elements selectively engageable with a surface being cleaned-in response to the direction of movement of the tool with respect to such surface.

3. In a vacuum cleaner, a body having a normally horizontal elongated top surface apertured to permit the passage of air therethrough, fixed vfront and transverse walls depending from said top surface, said front wall terminating at its lower edge in a surface engaging lip, a fixed depending rear wall portion terminating in an edge substantially above the horizontal plane of said surface engaging lip, a rear wall portion pivotally mounted on said transverse walls at a point intermediate the front wall and the terminal edge of the fixed rear wall portion and in a substantially common horizontal plane with and spaced from said terminal edge, said pivotally moimted rear wall portion depending to substantially the plane of said surface engaging lip, and a substantially horizontally disposed flexible wall joining said pivotally mounted and said ilxed rear wall portions, said pivotally mounted rear wall portion being provided with dissimilar agitating elements selectively engageable with a surface being cleaned in response to the direction of movement of the tool with respect to said surface, and stop means on said body limiting movement of said pivotally mounted rear wall portion in both directions.

' ARNOLD H. BEEDE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

